American pet-industry spending climbing as American turkey production slips. The Thanksgiving table is, statistically, smaller; the dog's premium-kibble bill is, statistically, larger. Two completely unrelated trends, on opposite sides of the regression line.
US pet industry spending grew from about 35 to over 130 billion dollars across this window as pet humanisation, premium food, and pet-tech expanded the category. US turkey production has declined modestly across the same window from a peak of about 6 billion pounds to under 5.5 billion as bird-flu disruptions, shifting protein preferences, and smaller average household sizes reduced demand. Two completely unrelated lines on opposite trajectories sharing a window because the same eighteen years scaled one premium-pet category and contracted one poultry one.
The pet got more attention than the turkey. The household reallocated its protein budget.
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Want to learn more about why correlations like “US pet industry spending” vs “US turkey production” don't prove causation? Read our guide to statistical thinking.
